Chocolate and cherry cookies

Method

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter with the caster sugar until light and fluffy. Add the oil and brown sugar and fold through. Then add the egg and vanilla and mix well again.

   Time: 10 minutes.

2. Put the oven on to 180°C (Fan) to pre-heat. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, salt and baking powder. Lightly grease 2 baking trays. Drain the cherries. Have all of the other ingredients measured out and ready, together with all the equipment you will need (rolling pin, cookie cutter, flour dredger, board, etc.) before proceeding as once the baking powder becomes wet the clock is ticking.

   Time: 5 minutes.

3. Tip the flour mixture into the butter/sugar and mix to form a dough. Fold in the cherries, brandy and chocolate chips.

   Time: 2 minutes.

4. Spoon the dough (it is quite slack) onto a well-floured board. Dredge some flour over it and carefully roll out to about 1cm thickness. Cut out as many cookies as you can and place on the prepared baking trays. Space them apart as they will spread a bit during baking. Gather up the scraps and re-roll and cut out the remainder of the cookies. Don't worry if the edges are a bit ragged.

   Time: 5 minutes.

5. Place the trays of cookies into the oven and bake for about 12 minutes, rotating the trays at half time. Give them an extra minute if they need it but they are cookies, not biscuits so a little under is probably better than a little over.

   Time: 12 minutes.

6. Leave the cookies on the trays to cool for 10 minutes. Then transfer them to cooling racks to completely cool.

   Time: 40 minutes.